BAFE Northern Ireland

BAFE Northern Ireland

BAFE is a national fire safety register and recognises the different legislation in the jurisdictions of the United Kingdom's constituent countries. Northern Ireland's fire safety regime differs to that of other parts of the United Kingdom.

Part 3 of The Fire and Rescue Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 and The Fire Safety Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010 came into effect on 15 November 2010.

The Fire and Rescue Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 can be viewed here

The Fire Safety Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010 can be viewed here

Fire Risk Assessments in residential care premises

"The Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA), Northern Ireland’s independent health and social care regulator, has written to all licensed residential care premises in Northern Ireland advising them that from 1st April 2014 all new fire risk assessments, and those due for review, are to be carried out either by people with appropriate registration with a professional body or preferably by a company who are third party certificated and are audited against an industry scheme such as the BAFE’s SP205  scheme for Life Safety Fire Risk Assessment.The communication also states that RQIA inspectors will be checking that this requirement has been met during the course of their regular inspections of licensed care premises.The Fire Risk Assessment Competency Council (who the RQIA refer to) recommends “the use of fire risk assessment companies, including sole traders which are third party certificated to appropriate schemes operated by Certification Bodies which have been UKAS accredited to certificate against such schemes”.

- Article from NSI.org.uk (New requirements set by RQIA for Fire Risk Assessments in Care Premises)

The Regulation and Quality Inprovement Authority letter - 'Competence of persons carrying out fire risk assessments in regulated residential care establishments'

For information on non-domestic Fire Safety in Northern Ireland and the responsibility that rests with the Appropriate Person you can visit the Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service fireSAFE website www.nifrs.org/firesa